under the guise of an unrelated study) were linked to fewer experiences of self-criticism,
depression, rumination, thought suppression and anxiety.
Paul Gilbert has developed a group-based therapy intervention called Compassionate Mind
Training (see
. CMT is designed to help people develop skills of self-compassion,
especially when their more habitual form of self-to-self relating involves self-attack. In a pilot study
of CMT involving hospital day patients with intense shame and self-criticism, significant decreases
in depression, self-attacking, shame and feelings of inferiority were reported after participation in
the CMT program
Moreover, almost all of the participants felt ready to be discharged from
their hospital program at the end of the study.
Therapeutic approaches that rely on mindfulness, like Jon Kabat-Zinn’s Mindfulness-Based Stress
Reduction (MBSR) program[41], may also be an effective way for people to develop self-
compassion. Mindfulness teaches people to notice the difficult thoughts and emotions that arise in
present-moment awareness, so that they can be experienced with kindness, acceptance and non-
judgment. MBSR courses are commonly taught by therapists and other health professionals to
help people deal with stress, depression and other forms of mental suffering. Research has
demonstrated that MBSR significantly increases self-compassion[42],[43]. In fact, some
researchers have proposed that self-compassion may be a key mechanism by which mindfulness-
based interventions improve well-being[44],[45]. In support of this idea, Shapiro, Astin, Bishop and
Cordova[41] found that healthcare professionals who took an MBSR program reported significantly
increased self-compassion and reduced stress compared to a waitlist control group, and that self-
compassion mediated the reductions in stress associated with the program. Similarly, Kuyken et
al.[46] examined the effect of MBCT compared to maintenance anti-depressants on relapse in
depression, and found that increases in mindfulness and self-compassion both mediated the link
between MBCT and depressive symptoms at 15-month follow-up. They also found that increased
self-compassion (but not mindfulness) reduced the link between cognitive reactivity and
depressive relapse.
306
Figure 2.
Percent increase in self-compassion, mindfulness, and compassion for others
